What Avanti Fellows does

Avanti Fellows is an India-based non-profit charitable trust founded in 2010 and headquartered in Mumbai that operates a multi-pronged educational technology ecosystem enabling academically high-achieving students from low-income and government school backgrounds to gain admission to India's top STEM colleges through the JEE and NEET competitive examinations. The organization's primary digital product is Gurukul, a mobile-first, open-source online test preparation platform launched in 2024 and powered by Capgemini, which delivers over 5,000 NCERT-mapped videos, mock and practice tests, and personalized test reports to 93,000+ students across 8 states in its first academic year. Complementing Gurukul are the Sankalp teacher resource hub (5,000+ videos, 10,000+ question library for grades 9-12 in Hindi and English), 39 physical Centres of Excellence providing intensive in-person tutoring to 2,591 students with 20+ hours per week of instruction, and state-specific portals including JNV Lakshya, Punjab PACE, and the Delhi CM Shri Schools program.

The organization distributes services through direct partnerships with 12 large public school systems across 8 states, the national Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya network, and integrations with DIKSHA, Plio, YouTube, and Google Meet for content delivery. It operates under donations and philanthropic funding only — all programs are provided free of cost to students — and maintains 12A, 80G, and FCRA certifications. Major institutional funders include Tata Trusts, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, BCG, JPMorgan Chase, Godrej Foundation, Capgemini, Sequoia Capital, Genpact, and SBI Foundation, alongside fellowships including Ashoka, Echoing Green, and Draper Richards Kaplan. Governance is led by co-CEOs Akshay Saxena (IIT Bombay alumnus, Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2025) and Vandana Goyal (former CEO of Akanksha Foundation, World Economic Forum Young Global Leader), supported by a board of trustees with backgrounds at Apollo, Mastek, SaveLIFE Foundation, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and Motilal Oswal Alternates.

Name

Avanti Fellows

Legal name

Avanti Fellows

Website

https://avantifellows.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Avanti Fellows is an India-based non-profit that provides free JEE/NEET test preparation and college counseling to low-income government school students through the Gurukul mobile-first platform (93,000+ learners), 39 physical Centres of Excellence, and partnerships with 12 public school systems across 8 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education / STEM Test Preparation Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Graduate & Professional School Admissions Exams (GRE/GMAT/LSAT/MCAT) Prep (EDANABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Curriculum, Instructional Materials & Practice Testing for GED/HiSET (EDAAABAO)

Keywords

• Test preparation services
• Online learning platform
• Education non-profit
• Competitive exam coaching
• Teacher resource hub

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Funding: Avanti Fellows operates as a non-profit organization, funded through donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization maintains transparency with financial documents including annual reports and audited financials available publicly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Avanti Fellows provides completely free test preparation, tutoring, college counselling, and scholarship access to students from government schools and low-income backgrounds to help them qualify for India's most competitive engineering (JEE) and medical (NEET) entrance exams. The organization delivers these services through a hybrid model combining 39 physical Centres of Excellence, the mobile-first open-source Gurukul online platform with 5,000+ videos and mock tests, online live classes, and state-specific government school partnerships across 12 public school systems.

Product overview

Avanti Fellows operates a multi-pronged educational technology ecosystem focused on enabling academically high-achieving students from disadvantaged communities to gain admission to top STEM colleges in India. The core digital platform is Gurukul (India's largest free online JEE/NEET test prep platform), supplemented by Sankalp (a teacher resource hub for grades 9-12 with 5,000+ NCERT-mapped videos and 10,000+ questions). Physical intervention programs include 39 Centres of Excellence with 2,591 students receiving intensive in-person tutoring, 90,000 students in self-paced online programs, and 500 students in online live classes. State-specific programs include JNV Lakshya, Punjab PACE, and Delhi Program. The organization also produces the 'Avanti: Yes She Can' podcast series. All programs work together to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity for underserved students across India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gurukul: India's largest free online test preparation platform for students preparing for competitive exams such as JEE and NEET. Launched in 2024, powered by Capgemini, mobile-first and open-source.
• JNV Lakshya
• Punjab PACE
• Sankalp
• Avanti: Yes She Can
• Centres of Excellence (CoE)

Products and services

• Gurukul Online Learning Platform India's largest free online test preparation platform for JEE and NEET, offering 5,000+ high-quality videos, recorded classes, mock and practice tests, and personalized test reports. Mobile-first and open-source, designed for government school and low-income students; live class option serves ~500 students across 4 states while self-paced option serves 88,000 students.
• Sankalp Teacher Resource Hub A comprehensive teacher resource hub for grades 9-12 with high-quality classroom resources in Maths and Science available in Hindi and English mediums. Features 5,000+ NCERT-mapped videos, 10,000+ question library, 60+ interactive lesson plans, ICT execution guides, revision resources, exam pattern plios, and doubt class recordings. Integrates with DIKSHA, YouTube, Plio, and Google Meet for content delivery.
• Centres of Excellence (CoE) 39 physical Centers placing mission-oriented teachers with high-achieving students (2,591 students total). Teachers provide 20+ hours of weekly tutoring, mentoring, and counselling. Programs achieve 90% qualification rate for JEE Main and 78% IIT/NIT placement; located across India including Puducherry and Kokrajhar, Assam.
• JNV Lakshya A dedicated learning portal for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) students facilitating effective preparation for competitive examinations including JEE, NEET, CLAT, and CA.
• Punjab PACE Program Self-paced learning platform supporting Punjab government school students and teachers in strengthening academic foundation and improving success rates in JEE and NEET. Includes residential camps, mock tests, and digital learning through the PACE coaching portal and Gurukul.
• Delhi CM Shri Program One-stop learning platform for CM Shri School students in Delhi to prepare for JEE, NEET, CLAT, CUET, NDA, and other competitive exams.
• Avanti: Yes She Can Podcast Podcast series hosted by co-CEO Vandana Goyal exploring why women disproportionately avoid engineering careers. Season 1 featured 10 episodes with women leaders from diverse industries (C-suite executives, film directors, comedians, social entrepreneurs). Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Jio Saavn, Amazon Music India, and YouTube.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of Centre of Excellence students place into top-tier STEM colleges
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Godrej Foundation (Tomorrow Makers Platform)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026Godrej Foundation's Tomorrow Makers platform partnered with Avanti Fellows as one of eight organizations to deliver coaching, mentorship, and free programs for high-potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds across STEM, invention, arts, and defence pathways. Assessments available in 11 languages with target of 80% admitted students from low-income households.
• Punjab Government / Department of School Education, PunjabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 April 2026Multi-year mentorship programme 'STEM Collective' launched in partnership between Sanjhi Sikhiya, Avanti Fellows, PI-RAHI, and Department of School Education, Punjab with support from Genpact. Designed to promote science education among girls from government schools with 100 girls in first cohort.
• Punjab Government (PACE Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPunjab Academic Coaching for Excellence (PACE) program providing free structured JEE preparation including residential camps, mock tests, and digital learning resources through the PACE coaching portal and Gurukul platform.
• Kaapi / AI Cohort ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAvanti Fellows participates in AI Cohort Program helping nonprofits adopt AI-powered tools. Nonprofits share learnings on sectoral context for AI adoption, failure points, and practical solutions.
• Tech4Dev ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject Tech4Dev worked with approximately 300 nonprofits through ten cohorts on technology solutions including AI, chatbots, and data platforms. Cohort-based peer learning helped organizations accelerate technology adoption.
• CapgeminicoreTechnology or IntegrationGurukul platform developed by Avanti Fellows and powered by Capgemini, providing technical support and infrastructure for India's largest free online test preparation platform.
• Reap BenefitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner also deploying AI tools in social sector, sharing learnings on AI adoption challenges and solutions.
• Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of government schools for gifted children where Avanti runs test preparation programs through JNV Enable and JNV Lakshya portals.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• iTeach Schools: Non-profit network of high-quality secondary schools serving low-income communities in India. Comparable in mission (educational access for underserved students) and physical delivery model (Centres of Excellence vs. full schools) but at different educational stages.
• Teach For India: Fellowship program placing talented graduates as teachers in low-income Indian schools. Comparable as non-profit education access organization targeting underserved communities, though delivery model differs (fellowship vs. test prep), making it a closely adjacent rather than directly competing peer.
• Akanksha Foundation: Non-profit educational organization serving low-income students in India with school and after-school programs. Most directly comparable as both organizations target underserved Indian children with educational interventions; Vandana Goyal (Avanti co-CEO) was previously CEO of Akanksha, evidencing close leadership and model overlap.
• Pratham Education Foundation: One of India's largest NGOs focused on education for underprivileged children, running large-scale remedial learning and assessment programs in government schools. Directly comparable mission (educational equity in India) and government school system delivery model, though Avanti focuses more on competitive exam access while Pratham focuses on foundational literacy/numeracy.
• Central Square Foundation: India-focused non-profit working to improve learning outcomes for underserved children through systemic reform and EdTech adoption. Comparable as a non-profit EdTech-enabled education equity organization focused on Indian government schools; functions partly as a funder/incubator rather than direct service provider.

Broad incumbents

• Unacademy: Major commercial EdTech platform offering JEE/NEET preparation courses with significant market share. Comparable in core offering (JEE/NEET online test preparation) but operates as commercial venture rather than non-profit, with broader portfolio of competitive exams and professional skills.
• Aga Khan Foundation: Large international development non-profit operating education programs in South Asia. Comparable as global non-profit with India education focus and government partnerships, though scope spans multiple countries and broader development sectors.
• Vedantu: Commercial EdTech platform providing online JEE/NEET preparation with live classes and study materials. Comparable target exam focus (JEE/NEET) and online delivery model, but operating commercially rather than free for underserved students.

Emerging players

• Khan Academy India: Free online educational platform with significant India presence, providing free video lessons and practice exercises across K-12 and competitive exams. Comparable in free, technology-enabled test prep for underserved students but offers broader general education content rather than JEE/NEET-specific focus.
• Reap Benefit: Non-profit deploying AI tools in social sector, sharing insights with peer organizations. Comparable as AI-adopting non-profit partner in India working on social impact challenges; less direct overlap in education delivery but mutual Tech4Dev cohort relationship with Avanti.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@avantifellows3102
• Facebookfacebook.com/avantifellows
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/avanti-fellows
• Instagraminstagram.com/avanti_fellows
• Xx.com/AvantiFellows

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Avanti Fellows